Bluebird
by bluelightningbug
Summary: One night while going up to guard duty, Hazel witnesses something she was sure nobody had seen, or rather heard, before. "Leo stuck his finger in front of his face, and inspected it closely as fire danced along his fingertips. 'Should I have forgotten it by now? Gotten over her, and just let go' He whispered". Hints of Lazel. READ.


**A/N: This is my first fic about Leo, let me know how it came out.**

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO

A series of beeps, her alarm clock, woke her up. Hazel groaned, and after rolling over and slapping the 'off' button, she lay in her bed for a minute longer, trying to grasp the feeling of sleep. Guard Duty, she thought dryly.  
**  
**She heaved herself upward, and pulled her denim jacket over her shivering self, patting the pocket only to sigh with relief, as she felt the bulge of Franks lifeline against her torso. Rubbing her eyes, Hazel plodded up towards the deck, where Leo would be waiting to be relieved of watch.  
**  
**As she neared the door, however, she heard a voice that took a second for her tired mind to process. Is Leo talking to himself? She wondered. But as she peered around the corner, staying in the shadows, she saw him talking to the masthead, Festus.  
**  
**Leo was perched on railing, with perfect balance, Hazel noted, his back against the bronze dragons neck. One of the demigods legs was draped over the side of the railing, about a foot from the deck. He had built the ship with extra tall railings.  
**  
**As always, the son of Hephaestus was fiddling, building something with his hands, his nimble fingers flying back and forth with grace, though Leo appeared not to be paying attention. He was, in fact, very absorbed in his conversation with his dragon, who was apparently responding with clicks and creaks.****

Hazel didn't know what possessed her to stay in the shadows, maybe it was the serious frown that graced the mechanics face, or the simple curiosity.  
**  
**"- I don't know, Festus," Leo was saying, "I just have this burning sensation in my stomach, I feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust into a Leo-match at any given time, You know? It's just this whole thing with Percy and Annabeth falling into the great depths of hell is my fault and none of this would have happened if I hadn't broken that damn cookie!"  
**  
**Leo glared out beyond the ship, like he was trying to stare the Fates down. Festus shot a short flame of fire into the sky, and flicked his ears.  
**  
**"Okay, so if I hadn't then Frank and Hazel would have- okay yeah, I had to break the cookie, that doesn't make me feel better," Leo continued. "I feel so guilty, and then there's that whole "Franks going to kill me if I even look at Hazel, even though I promised I wouldn't make I move", crap. Just another drop of gasoline to wood pile."  
**  
**Leo sighed, and disassembled whatever he had been building, listening to Festus as he whirred and clicked. Leo raised an eyebrow.  
**  
**"Well talking to you is helping. Other then that, I just need to hope I don't burn the ship down. It would be the second time, Festus, _the second_ time, I had murdered someone with fire."

**L**eo stuck his finger in front of his face, and inspected it closely as fire danced at his fingertips. "Should I have forgotten about it by now?Gotten over her, and just let it go?" He whispered. "I try to Festus, but it doesn't work. And gods, boy, hearing her voice in Hazel's flashback? It made me want to eat a hundred pounds of cotton candy, puke it all up, and do it over again. And you know howmuch I hate cotton candy**. **Or something like that".  
**  
**His chest heaved upward as Festus croaked and whirred a long sentence, An incredulous expression crossed Leo's face.  
**  
**"No, I will not sing about it!" He exclaimed, laughing slightly, and wiping a tear away from his cheek. "No singing, tonight."  
**  
**Leo held up the automation he had created of a few bolts and screws. Hazel gasped silently, as it was amazing, and so life like, she could almost believe it was alive. "A bluebird," Leo murmured from beside Festus.  
**  
**The dragon snorted, and started whirring, and clicking, somehow forming a melody, a tune. "Really, Happy the dragon? Music?" Leo asked, groaning. "Only for you boy, and only once". He lay his head back on the dragon, his head tilted to the sky.  
**  
**He paused for a moment, hesitating, as his dragon continued the music. Then he opened his mouth, and Hazel could not help but let her jaw drop as her friends voice rang out, slow and soft.****

_And so here we go bluebird, _  
_Gather your strength and rise up._  
_Oh let him go bluebird._  
_Oh let him go bluebird._  
_Oh let him go bluebird._  
_Ready to fly, _  
_You and I, _  
_Here we go._  
_Here we go..._

At the end of the verse, which Leo had apparently came up with on the spot, the boy set his bluebird on the railing and flicked it off. "Fly bluebird!" he said sarcastically, before stroking Festus. "You satisfied, Happy the dragon?"  
**  
**Festus purred, and as Leo's automation came flying backup, he snatched it out of the sky, and crunched down on it loudly. "Oh fine", Leo snorted, his black curls bouncing as he shook his head. "Eat the bluebird, who just inspired my award winning performance!"  
**  
**The demigod swung his legs down, and landed softly on the deck. He turned around and patted his dragons head once more, before kissing it lightly. "Night boy, I got to go get Hazel up".  
**  
**To late, Hazel processed what this meant, and Leo, as he was rounding the corner, practically ran into her, managing to stop just in time. "Oh hey, Hazel," he said, surprised, after steadying her. "How long have you been there?"  
**  
**At first glance, Leo would appear his normal, happy self, though a bit more tired. But Hazel, after standing there for the last half hour, didn't miss the suspicious emotion that flashed across his face briefly, or the faded tear stain.  
**  
**"Just got here". She lied. "Slept through my alarm, sorry".  
**  
**"Ay- okay, Miss Metal Detector," Leo grinned, easiness settling around him. He stifled a yawn, before mumbling, "I'm tired, I'll see you in the morning, kay?"  
**  
**Hazel nodded, and watched the son of Hephaestus disappear through the door. She made her way over to his dragon, and rested her elbows on the rail, beside it. She found herself humming Leo's song, after a moment.  
**  
**Hazel turned to Festus, before murmuring, "Leo's a good singer".  
**  
**Already, she wished Leo wasn't gone, that she could keep listening to him singing. Stop it, she scolded herself. You have Frank.****

But she couldn't ignore the longing in the pit of her stomach, as she listned to Leo's footsteps fade away. Changing the lyrics to Leo's song slightly, she thought about the ship's commander.****

_Oh, let him go, Bluebird..._****

A/N: The song is Bluebird, by Sara Bareilles. It is a really good song, and I would check it out. It would make the story more enjoyable too. Review please!


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